iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
The Centre for Food Safety, Hong Kong has published the list of banned Indian spice variants on its website
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Trump Organisation defence rests case in criminal tax fraud trial
The company, which faces fines of up to $1.6 million if convicted, has pleaded not guilty
Lawyers for former US President Donald Trump's real estate company rested their case on Monday after calling just two witnesses in the Trump Organisation's criminal trial in a New York state court on tax fraud charges.
Outside accountant Donald Bender wrapped up his testimony for the defence and was followed on the witness stand by a paralegal from the offices of one of the defence lawyers. Juan Merchan, the judge in the case, set closing arguments for Thursday and Friday with jury deliberations expected to begin next Monday.
Prosecutors in Manhattan have accused the Trump Organisation, which operates hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world, of conducting a 15-year tax fraud scheme to pay personal expenses for executives and partly compensate them as if they were independent contractors.
The company, which faces fines of up to $1.6 million if convicted, has pleaded not guilty. Trump, who this month launched a run for the presidency in 2024, has not been charged in the case.
The prosecution rested its case a week ago.
The Trump Organisation has sought to shift the blame to former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, who was charged last year along with the company and has pleaded guilty to tax fraud and other charges, and Bender, who it maintains should have blown the whistle on Weisselberg's conduct.
Bender, who has been given immunity from prosecution, testified last week that he trusted that Weisselberg gave him accurate financial information, and that his role was limited.
"We had robust conversations," Bender testified on Monday, explaining that Weisselberg said he met the criteria to be paid as an independent contractor.
ALSO READ:
Bender's testimony appeared to backfire on the defence and bolster the prosecution's case.
Weisselberg has worked for the Trump family for about five decades, but is no longer CFO and is on paid leave. Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Weisselberg is set to serve a five-month jail sentence.
He and several other executives improperly received bonus payments as non-employee compensation, trial evidence showed. The company also provided luxury apartments, car leases and paid for other personal expenses for Weisselberg and other executives, which were not reported as income.
Trump, a Republican, has called the charges against the company politically motivated. Alvin Bragg, the current Manhattan district attorney, is a Democrat, as is the DA who brought the charges last year, Cyrus Vance.
"The case was not fair or good," Trump wrote on Monday on social media.
More news from World
Regulations lag pace of climate change. Air pollution kills 860,000 people each year
The two Muslim neighbours were involved in unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes this year
Attacks online include insults, sexist and sexual comments, and physical threats, including death threats to journalists and their families
AI tools imitating human intelligence are widely used in newsrooms around the world to transcribe sound files, summarise texts and translate
Of these, 90 families, or 468 people, returned over the Torkham crossing, according to the Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation
It allows American spy agencies to surveil foreigners abroad using data drawn from US digital infrastructure such as internet service providers
The incident happened shortly after jury selection for the hush-money trial was completed
